Call for applications: Summer School 2025 on Resilience to Science Hostility

The Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG), Berlin School of Public Engagement and Open Science (BSOPE) and Scicomm-Support invite applications to a summer school on resilience against hostility through science communication in Berlin from 7-8 July 2025.

Summer School: Resilience against hostility through science communication
July 7th – 8th · HIIG · Französische Straße 9 · 10117 Berlin

Deadline for applications: Monday 31 March 2025 (23:59 CEST).
Notification of acceptance/rejection: until 21 April 2025.

There are no training costs for participants.
Travel and accommodation costs are at the participant’s expense.

Engaging with policymakers, civil society, and the media became an integral part of academic work for many researchers. But public communication can also come with risks—ranging from aggressive pushback to hate speech and trolling campaigns aimed at discrediting scientific voices. How can researchers communicate effectively while staying resilient in the face of hostility? How can they ensure their message has impact beyond academia and learn how to deal with biased conflicts in science communication? A representative survey of German researchers within the KAPAZ project highlighted that strong public communication skills are crucial for preventing and managing attacks and hostility. In recent years, we have gained deeper insights into the phenomenon of hostility towards science and its impact on individuals, institutions, and research as a whole.

Join our three-day training programme (two days in-person + online tasks and exchange) designed to equip researchers with the tools to:

• Develop a strong, impact-focused communication and engagement strategy
• Anticipate and manage hostile reactions, including hate speech and trolling
• Build resilience and find support in challenging situations

This training is tailored to researchers of all disciplines and career stages. The training will be held in English. 

APPLICATIONS

Applications are submitted via the online application form. Please note that there are three longer form questions (below). We advise you to draft your responses in a word processor and then copy them over to the form.
In addition to completing background information about you and your research, we ask you to address the following questions:

• What societal challenge do you aim to address with your research, and which non-academic audiences would you like to engage with? (Max. 100 words)
• What apprehensions or fears, if any, do you have when communicating with audiences outside of academia? (Max. 100 words)
• What do you hope to gain from the Summer School and what can you contribute? (Max. 100 words)
  

Participants

PhDs, PostDocs, researchers from all disciplines are eligible to apply. Participants must be associated with an academic institution (university, non-university research institution).

Applicant Commitment

Please read the applicant commitment included in the application form to understand what we ask of you as a Summer School participant.

Questions and Support

If you have any further questions about the application process or need any support, please get in touch with Nataliia Sokolovska (nataliia.sokolovska@hiig.de) who is happy to answer your questions.

TRAINING CONCEPT

By participating in the Summer School, participants will …

• gain an understanding of the broad range of Science Communication and Public Engagement activities open to them
• gain an understanding of the extent and characteristics of science hostility and hate speech in Germany
• gain insights into how hostility and hate speech manifest and impact researchers through real life case studies in order to identify risk
• develop their own communication and engagement strategies
  

ORGANISERS

This summer school is part of the multidisciplinary project KAPAZ, where we provide research on the spread and implication of science hostility in Germany. We also provide training for research institutions together with a group of professional science communicators and public engagement experts. The Summer School is led by the Alexander Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG) and the Berlin School of Public Engagement (BSOPE), part of the Public Engagement and Impact Unit at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin.